


both cradled and crushed

by theatrythms



Series: i'll tell you my sins (and you can sharpen your knife) [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gang World, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Study, F/M, Mentions of Violence, Pregnancy, Relationship Study, Ryoma loves his tiny wife, written in 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23205142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theatrythms/pseuds/theatrythms
Summary: The view from his Shirasagi apartment is his favourite. This penthouse is not fit for a child.
Relationships: Mozume | Mozu/Ryoma
Series: i'll tell you my sins (and you can sharpen your knife) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668334
Kudos: 10





	both cradled and crushed

**Author's Note:**

> do people even PLAY fire emblem fates anymore ??? anyway . im social distancing and my university is online for the indefinite future, so i decided to clean up and edit the gang au i wrote almost FOUR YEARS ago and upload them again . theres like 6 pieces , but i hope u enjoy !! i changed the titles , so these were once all hozier titles but this one is from take back the city by snow patrol ! this fic is kinda barebones but it makes sense w the rest of them ! i hate how much of a fire emblem fan i actually am damn

1999 - Shirasagi 

The view from his Shirasagi apartment is his favourite. He can see the bustling city below him, the way the orange light shines against the skyscrapers, the large Birthright Incorporations tower at the heart of the city, and the ring of mountains that settled around the city. Shirasagi is a nice city, peaceful and bright, so unlike the dark Windmire he tries to stay out of. His penthouse apartment has a balcony running all around it, giving him the advantage to see his city at all angles. He has apartments in every city; in Cheve, in Cyrkensia, in Fort Jinya, but none compare to his Shirasagi penthouse.

Ryoma raises the cigarette to his lips, standing right at the fault line of the day ending and the night beginning. Underneath him, the city pulses, then underneath that, his empire runs like veins of the earth. His maroon tie is loose, grey jacket hung over the rail as the layers of sunset pile above the mountains in the far. It's a cool night, and just as he's about to inhale, she sees him from inside the apartment.

"Ryoma!" Mozu says, waddling up to the sliding door as quickly as she can. Ryoma sighs, putting the cigarette out as guilt washes over in waves. She pulls open the door, disappointment written all over her face.

"Sorry Mozu," He says sheepishly, hoping to escape her tiny rage "I forgot."

Mozu toys with the tip of her chin, a habit she only does when she's nervous. 

"I know you forgot but you can't, Ryoma," She says, sending him deeper into guilt.

"I know I said I'd stop smoking for the baby but," he looks down at the curve of her stomach, just the sight of it already dragging a smile onto his face "But it's hard." He deflates.

Mozu rocks her hips from side to side, staring up at her husband. She knows, more than anyone else in his family, how hard quitting will be for him. When they started their relationship, it was her one request, stark against his background, that he'd stop smoking. Compared to his history, she made smoking sound so impure, so revolting, even after she understood the secrets of the Hoshido family.

_ "Well, if it doesn't bother you, I'd be a fool to let it bother me, huh! I like you too, Mr. Ryoma. And if I'm the one you want, I'll give you everything I have!" _

She shakes her head at him, not even coming up to his chin. Her tiny, fragile stature, seemed to hide her defiance and her strength. He met her when she was nothing more than a village girl who moved to the city after her parents died. He found his favourite rundown café, fell in love with the polite waitress that also cooked and cleaned, and slowly found himself content with the idea of them staying together. Ryoma Hoshido is still content with that, a life with her, but he knows, he knows; how much she hates the penthouse he's loved for so long.

The kitchen isn't big enough, she doesn't say, when she tries to cook the same meals she did before. The windows everywhere make her feel anxious, she doesn't croon when they spend evenings like this one out on the larger side of the balcony, the side with the deck chairs and swimming pool. I feel afraid that you could get hurt staying out in the open, she doesn't whisper when he leaves at night, Rajinto strapped to his waist.

But what she does say, as their child grows and the date comes closer when soon, he'll be a father to a son, with a lover who is more than just a partner but can't be his wife; what she does say, when he presses his hand over her stomach and feels his son kick against his fingers; what she does say, as the future heir of the Hoshido underground grows inside her, is that the penthouse is not fit for a child. Mozu is his brilliant and beautiful partner, who understands why there's blood stains on the hem of his trousers, who doesn't ask questions but still understands.

"I've been thinking about what you said." Ryoma leans back against the railing, taking in how the twinkling stars have begun to sew themselves to the cloth of the night sky, imaginary thread holding the constellations together.

"And?" Mozu chews her bottom lip, a hand resting under her stomach.

He puts his hands on her shoulders, looking through their open kitchen-living room-dining area and at the other side of the apartment, where the sky is practically the opposite, still blush pink and mellow orange hues of dusk. "I think you're right. I started looking at country houses just outside the city, so we can have the space but still be close enough for work." He’s the son of the Mayor of Shirasagi, and public philanthropy is somehow harder than being the head of the Dawn Dragon clan, the biggest drug cartel and crime organisation in the underground of the city. The Dawn Dragons own Shirasagi, and Shirasagi owns them.

Ryoma wants to keep the city in its haven for his son, who'll join him soon. He wants to give him the world, give him freedom, keep him safe while the underground threatens to swallow him whole. Maybe it'll be hard for his son to learn what his father is, but if he truly is a Hoshido, he'll want to protect the city with matched rigour.

Mozu beams, both hands joining her just under her chin, her brown hair spilling over her shoulders. She looks up at him with such love and trust, a look her lover mirrors perfectly. Even after all those months, he's amazed at how she looks past the crime, the threats, the murder, but finds a major fault in his smoking habit.

"That's great Ryoma! When do you think we can move?" She asks, as elsewhere, her boyfriend looks out at the stunning sky resting atop his stunning city, the fault line now shaken towards the night. It makes him grip the railing tighter, anger suddenly flashing. The night reminds him of the Dusk Dragon clan, the biggest competitor to him. How can he protect his family, protect her and their son, protect those loyal to his family, when the depressing weight of darkness constantly threatens to overcome him.

"Ryoma?" Mozu asks, now standing next to him on the balcony. The evening breeze ruffles her bangs, and even if her stomach won't allow her to completely stand flush against the balcony, she still leans one elbow on the railing. She cocks her head with a bite of her lip, so kind, so caring.

Ryoma pulls himself back into reality, back to her, and the future that lies ahead for them. There's no doubt, only love, and carefully, he pulls her into a hug, letting her sink into his pressed shirt. "As soon as possible my love, and when we do, you'll be the queen of whatever castle you pick."

"Who’s to say this penthouse isn't a castle." She giggles "Maybe it's your castle."

He barks out a laugh, hearty and loud, the vibrations buzzing through her chest. "I’m not a king; but if you were to be my queen I guess I wouldn't mind the title."

"Ryoma! I already told you! I'm not cut out to be a part of your kingdom." His kingdom is the underworld of the Dawn Dragons. She'll wash the blood from his clothes, wait up for him at night when he passes the curfew he set on himself, entertain dozens of criminals in her living room, help strategize with his siblings when something is on the verge of going awry, but she's no ruler. She's Mozu, she's his lover, she is pregnant, and she hates his beloved penthouse.

He kisses the crown of her head "I know, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to stay with you."

She leans back to look up him again, a smile playing with the corners of her lips 

"I said that I'd give you my everything."

"I offered you the same." Ryoma says "I hope you'll stay by my side."

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away!" And with that, leans up to close the gap between them.

And he loves her, achingly, and the way the light bends around her hair and in her heart. Shirasagi doesn’t stir that night, but Ryoma spends his time going between the future he’s been given, and the future he’s creating.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u so much for reading !!!


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